HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — Contract extension talk between the Oklahoma City Thunder and reigning KIA Sixth Man of the Year James Harden took a wrong turn somewhere. How else to explain tonight’s shocking news, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports and Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman, that Harden has been traded to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, rookie shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, two first-round Draft picks and a second-round Draft pick?

The Thunder will also send Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to the Rockets to complete the deal.

This shakes up not only the Western Conference playoff chase but also the entire landscape of the league, what with the Thunder losing one of the most explosive scorers in the league as he enters the prime of his career. The Los Angeles Lakers remade their roster over the summer, adding Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to a nucleus of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace. And the Thunder needed to keep the core of a team that had home court in The Finals last season intact if they intended to hold off challenges from the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for the Western Conference crown.

The deal comes on the heels of negligible progress being made on a contract extension for Harden following nearly four months of negotiating. As a result, the Thunder parted ways with the fan favorite after stagnant talks made it clear Harden would be too much of a financial burden to keep.

If no deal was reached on an extension by Wednesday’s midnight Eastern deadline, Harden would have become a restricted free agent next summer. Houston is believed to now be ready to ink Harden to the maximum-allowable contract that Harden has long been believed to covet.

A report by Yahoo! Sports on Saturday said Harden recently turned down a four-year extension worth roughly $52 million. The report also was the latest to say Harden is pushing for a max deal, expected to be roughly $60 million over four years.

But with max contracts extended to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook — as well as more than $52 million invested in Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins over the next three seasons alone — the Thunder faced the possibility of stiff penalties under the new, more punitive collective bargaining agreement.

Making a move this drastic just days before the start of the regular season could cost the Thunder as well, as they’ll have to incorporate Martin and Lamb into their mix basically on the fly.

But Thunder general manager Sam Presti clearly had no intention of playing games with Harden with so much at stake this season for a young Thunder team that prides itself on the collective good outweighing all things.

The Rockets, led by an equally aggressive and fearless general manager in Daryl Morey, are also in the midst of reshaping their roster and can now pair Harden with a rising star of their own in Jeremy Lin in one of the most exciting young backcourt tandems in the league.

156 Comments

Harden is a better player than KMART. Yes, both of them are not very good on the defensive end, but harden at least tries, Kmart doesn’t even play defense at all really. He for sure only likes to show up on the offensive end. Harden is also more consistent than Kmart is. Jeremy Lamb will be pretty good in the next 3-4 years IF he puts basketball before anything. Those draft picks are not helping them anytime soon. Durant and Westbrook want to win NOW, they don’t want to have to wait to get back to the finals.

At the end of the day. It’s a business. Harden took the selfish route, wanted to be a star. To not accept 4mil less is ridiculous. If westbrook can settle for less, then the 3rd best player should too. That’s not very “team player” of him. We’ll see how he does in the #1 option. I hope the best for him but come on James.

This is a good trade for both teams, in the long term. While the trade hurts the thunders chances of stopping the lakers this year, it allows the thunder to stock up on more young talented players. This is important because while kobe and steve nash have around three years left at the most, the thunder will still have players in their prime. For the rockets, their positive additions are obvious. The pickup of harden, who along with Jeremy Lin and all of their strong rookies, will flourish in Kevin McHale’s offense. Both teams will be fun to watch for years to come in my opinion.

How will the Thunder not be able to stop the lakers? Will D12 stay out of foul trouble? will they be able to slow down KD n westbrook? Is the lakers 2nd team better than OKC? They still are the best in the west

The loser of this trade is James Harden. He was about to reach to his prime, he was playing on an excellent team that is a championship caliber for many years to come with this core group. And he throws that opportunity away and becomes a star in a mediocre team… You can not build a team around James Harden ! He is not a superstar, he is a great player but just that.. You need a few great players or a few superstars to be a championship caliber team and in Houston they have none other than James Harden. Moreover, Rockets would lose much more games than OKC Thunder and in that picture Harden could only be a Monta Ellis or a Kevin Martin of a few years ago in a mediocre team that fills up the stat sheet day and night but it does not translate into wins or anything. OKC would recover from this, Harden was their 3rd best player and very important for them but he was a 6th man nonetheless. Someone else would step into his shoes anyway. Harden will miss OKC more than OKC would miss Harden !

This trade really hurts the OKC chances of winning a championship, or even contending for one. Yes they are still a top 3 team because of KD & Russell, however you won’t find another guy whose willing to come off the bench to be the 3rd best scorer. I believe this both Sam’s and Harden fault; I believe Sam the GM of OKC should had signed Ibaka to a lesser deal, I believe Ibaka would had taken the lesser deal. I can’t believe I’m saying this but HARDEN IS MONEY HUNGRY PLAYER, HE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP, all he really cared about was getting paid. I hope when he finally gets paid he shows US NBA FANS that he’s worth the money. I just hope the OKC Thunder realize that they traded for an un-coachable player, and another scoring SG, they already had a scoring PG, now they have a scoring SG that doesn’t play defense well and can’t really play a full season if I’m correct. HORRIBLE TRADE FOR OKC I guess a good trade for Rockets.

Before the Trade, OKC had a great Team. After the Trade, they still have a great Team. It’s all about a Team, not just a single Player. Harden is great Player an he was very important, but not that important like f.e. Durant or. Westbrook. For OKC it was more important to keep a Player like Ibaka. it’s ok that he was dealt because so far, he had’nt proved that he deserved a max deal and I understand, that Presti wouldn’t give him that much money. I think, Martin is a good fit. So is Lamb. Along with the return of Maynor, the real Playmaker of the Thunder’s second unit, it will bei tough to beat them. Their Starting 5 is still the same an the Bench is deep. And Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka are still young, they will take another step forward this year OKC will battle MIA in the Finals. And I hope they ‘ ll win…

90% of the comments on here are absurd and absolutely ridiculous. All you people saying okc is the winner in this trade are just plain blind. Harden is a highly talented player that can shoot lights out and his solid defense is something okc will miss. Put Kevin Martin in his place and you have one of the leagues worst defenders. Harden will easily avg 20-25 points in Houston where he will have offensive freedom. Harden averaged 16 points on a team with both Durant AND Westbrook. I’ll be surprised if K-mart averages 12 points. Despite this Houston is still irrelevant cause they overpaid both Lin and Asik. Both hugely overrated players who I can see hugely under performing this season. A new team is coming out of the west this year.

Thunder lose a dynamic player in Harden but recoup some of that in Martin, J.Lamb. Rockets are taking a gamble with this trade more than OKC but they can only improve their standing while Thunder may stumble a little soley because this trade is so close to the start of the season, and they will have to work in their new additions on the fly.

the Thunder won they got Kevin MArtin an great upgrade to nick collson, and Jeremy Lamb who has potential to be a great player, they also got draft picks and the thunder clearly know hot to draft picking up KD, Westbrook,Ibaka,and Harden. Watch out their looking greatg for future years

The Rockets just got more fun to watch. I’ll definitely tune in to watch Jeremy Lin play with James Harden. Rockets just increased their chances of making the playoffs this year. I think OKC are still championship contenders so no big losers in this trade.

I don’t understand what’s going on here. Harden didn’t have to sacrifice much money to stay with OKC if he wanted. He only had to give up like 1 million a year.

I’m starting to think he didn’t want to stay in OKC. Maybe he wants to be the start of a team, and he’ll definetly have that opportunity with the Rockets.

All in all, it’s a win for everyone. Houston gets their star, OKC gets more young talent, Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb are happy to join a championship contending team and Jamer Harden will get the attention he wants.

What a great move by my Houston Rockets Kevin Martin no longer wanted to be here the rules change that made him so effective has hurt his play (can no longer pump fake & bump into defender on way down a draw free throws) the main reason why he gets to the foul line plus he is 29 and plays no defense compared to James Harden who is 23 plays better defense than K-Mart is considered good enough by his peers to represent the olympic team and be an all-star and now he finally gets a chance to start, be the man, and live up to his full potential. Those draft picks everyone’s talking about are coming from the Mavericks and a much improved Raptors team these picks may be low lottery or out the lottery all together and a second round pick but who I’m most sad to see leave is Jeremy Lamb and the potential that he brings but I would still take the proven James Harden over the uncertainty that is Jeremy Lamb… Red Nation!!!

Comparing a player who averaged 16.8ppg in a championship contender (Harden)
and a player who averaged 17.1ppg in a team not even making the playoff (Martin)
IS RIDICULOUS!
Menu only averaged 12.9ppg in Spurs, does it mean he is much worse than Martin?

actually, the only reason y the rockets didnt make the playoffs, was because they didnt have durant and westbrook. the thunder would have been no different without harden, and will be better off with kevin martin. also, right now , martin is better than manu ginobli because martin is just beginnig, and manu is on his way to retirement

The thunder obviously got the better end of the deal because they got kevin martin who is going to be an allstar in the next few years because he is very close to his prime season. they also got jeremy lamb, who was just drafted and is supposed to be a good pick. Both of these guys can quickly fill up harden’s spot on the thunder. The rockets will stil struggle because harden is just filling up martin’s spot. harden is no better, he shudnt have been on the allstar team this year.

GOOD JOB FOR THE THUNDER MANAGEMENT!!!! HARDEN IS A JOKE , HE TOLD BEFORE THAT MONEY IS NOT AN ISSUE FOR HIM ON STAYING WITH THE THUNDER THAT THE TEAM IS LIKE HIS FAMILY . NOW HE BEGGED FOR MORE THAN WHAT HE DESERVED , WHAT THE F@&K….HARDEN YOU DON’T DESERVE A MAX YOU’RE JUST AN AVERAGE PLAYER NOT A SUPERSTAR . YOUR GAME WILL NOT FIT IN ANY OTHER TEAM , YOU ARE SO LUCKY TO BE IN THUNDER THEY BUILT YOU BRILLIANTLY. THIS WILL BE THE START OF YOUR DOWNFALL. HOUSTON MADE ANOTHER HUGE MISTAKE FIRST ON JEREMY LIN GIVING THAT HUGE AMOUNT OF CONTRACT AND NOW GIVING UP KEVIN MARTIN FOR JAMES HARDEN …LOL

Mostly everyone knows the saying “Money talks, BS walks!” Surely this shows that Harden was the one BSing, coz they let him walk! If he was really committed in staying with the Thunder and winning a championship, he clearly would have taken the 54M they were offerring him. Yet “he” insisted on the 60M. 6M difference on the course of 4 years, which relates to 1.5M per year. All the millions of dollars involved, and yet, he cannot let go of 1.5M per year? He even mentioned before that he was willing to take a pay cut just to stay with the Thunder? Who’s 1.5M was he fighting for in this situation, his or his agent’s??? Clearly, money has changed his line of thinking. I’m glad to see that the Thunder administration did the right thing in trading him. If they had given in on his demands, he will still be a potentilal problem in the future.

Martin is a low percentage, volume shooter who is injury prone. draft picks don’t always work out and lamb is a rookie with potential only. the league is full of players who have never fulfilled their potential. harden may have failed in the finals but so did lebron in 2011. do you trade him? the thunder and harden will regret this

In a way the real winner is are the Lakers, because the championship is was really a 3 team race between the Heat, Lakers and Thunder. Although teams like Boston and San Antonio are still threats given the proper situation. The reason I say these is that teams not only the Lakers now can force Westbrook or Sefalosha to initiate and create for their offense. Which will be easier to defend since they will be still develop their playmaking skills throughout the regular season as neither is a natural at it.

To me this is a fair deal to both teams.K. Martin is a 20+ pts player which will fill up the scoring hole Harden left behind right away, but not a play maker. Jeremy Lamb is a scorer that will get better, with Maynor back from injury, OKC is still a contender now and in years to come.Houston just got a push to the Western conference play off race. Harden pairing up with Jeremy Lin at the back court will be very exciting to watch. This a complementary trade for both team.

Houston wins big time. lin, asik, parsons, harden, patterson. plus a good young bench. in a couple of seasons they will be contenders. cole aldrich is also a great pickup for backup center. westbrook is the one that should have been traded.

As a Thunder fan I have to say that that is some amazing work by Presti. It must be really tough to make that decision, but it will be a very good deal for OKC in the long haul. Lamb and Martin will both give Westbrook more space to operate, and I can’t wait to see what those draft pick will become. Seeing OKC’s record in the draft, the Thunder are going to be a ridiculously good team in 3 years, and without having to overpay a free agent or land a prima donna like LeBron or Howard.

As an OKC resident this is a shock. Harden was a great Thunder player. I don’t think he will be as good on the Rockets. I wish him well and hope he becomes a superstar. It depends on how he can handle pressure. I also don’t think he will get offered as much money as he just turned down when the time comes to write up his new contract with Houston. OKC will still make the playoffs. Houston might not. I don’t see us winning the west. LA and San Antonio just took a breath of relief. OKC was without a doubt the best team in the west. Now OKC, LA, and SA, will be a lot closer. Until I see LA get their stuff together I still give an edge to OKC and SA. If they kept the team together with the experience gained from last year I was actually favoring them over an extremely professional, athletic, dominating Miami Heat.

although it hurts to have loss harden. OKC just got better and much deeper. It would be interesting to see how the rotation goes this season with great talent like perry jones, hollis thompson,daniel orton, hasheem tabeat, and jermy lamb. OKC is still a big playoff threat and championship team and depending on how the rookies perform they may have the best bench in the NBA.

Harden is a reliable shooter but he’s slow and can’t play D like the best swingmen in the league. The Heat showed this year how vital solid defense. Battier, James and Wade all reliable and having an impact at different times in the Playoffs. Don’t know about Martin but Westbrook and Durant freewheel and OKC need more defensive stops in their backcourt to help Ibaka if they’re gonna take the next step.

It’s overall a good trade for both teams, but I feel the Rockets have the upper hand in this trade. Harden is going to be BIG for the Rockets. It’s going to take some time for Jeremy Lamb to develop into a good player. With Kevin Martin, there always that injury risk. If he gets injured AGAIN I don’t see the Thunder being as successful as they were in the past 2 years.

Salute the GM of OKC for not dragging the contract talk long into season, and the gut to make quick decision! You have to respect OKC’s management for removing distractions from the team as soon as possible (unlike Orlando w/ Howard, Cav w/ James, Nuggets w/ Melo).

The loser here is Harden. He will get his money, a little more than OKC offer, but loses the chance to go deep into playoff. He might not perform well in Rockets without KD and Westbrook and as the leading man, he also didn’t perform well in the Finals.

Great move OKC! If only more management in NBA have guts like OKC, we can all watch games and not dramas.

The people reacting like the Thunder got robbed know nothing about basketball

OKC were not gonna resign Harden he was gonna leave in the offseason, Kevin Martin was not even the main part in the deal, Martin is in the last year of his contract, OKC is just renting him for 1 year, the main part of the deal is the strong upside to Jeremy Lamb and 2 FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS FROM NON PLAYOFF TEAMS

I feel like the OKC management team is the best in the league, they turned from a team of nothing, into a team with 3 all star players, then turned 1 of the all star plays that were gonna leave into a rising star, and 2 high first round draft picks for potentially more stars in the future. This trade was a great one for OKC, Durant and Westbrook are still young, the draft picks could turn OKC into an even more dominant team in 2-3 years

In a way it was clear since the 2 max contracts to KD and RW – thunder had to decide between Ibaka and Harden for $ reasons. Harden wanted the max (52 mill wasn’t enough, even on a contender), probably bench also wasn’t enough anymore. I wish him good luck, but I have to admit I lost a bit of sympathy for him trough the last year until today.
To compete with the size of the lakers and the strength of the spurs, OKC simply made the right choice.
They now got a versatile scorer which could be a even greater fit as a 6th man, not just by making plays, but also by truly accepting this role at this point of his career. Martin must love to be on a real contender. Plus they got more options to stay young (that means fresh and cheap talent around the dynamic two) over the next couple years. Good deal for the future OKC, good deal right away for HOU.

OKC may realized it still isn’t REALLY their time yet. Only 1-2 more years, when the lakers and spurs will finally be to old to compete, they will get to their throne for the west’s best a few seasons in a row! patience, my friends, is golden. Just ask Lebron 🙂

Houston got a win!! though Lamb is good..Harden is better. Lamb wont be getting much playing time as compared to harden. Harden can now be the star that he deserves to be. OKC is my favorite team but I don’t see championship this year with that trade.

Harden is sooo overrated. Kevin Martin is a more consistent shooter, and the addition of Jeremy Lamb is exactly the kind of move the Thunder needed to be successful to this point with – a future great player. I’m far from being a Thunder fan, but that’s a damn good move for them.

i think its a bad move from the thunders but they have future draft prospects.and they will have a spot up shoter,and also i think, they will have a bad plays because they will have no player that can distibute the ball for a teammate coz westbrook i think is not a team player .not like harden that sees the court and cn distibute it for an open teammate

Very good move by Presti. Since Harden denied the contract n Thunder didn’t want to pay tax trading Harden was the only move n Presti did a very good job. Leaving Martin aside i see something in Lamb that Presti probably sees as well. Not the most nba ready sg of the draft but for me the most talented and lets not forget that Martin’s contract expires in a year.. This expiring contract plus the first round picks they ve got gives Presti flexibility for the next years, something that would be impossible had they keep Harden. And by the way a team with Durant (this guy can put the ball in the basket any time he wants with a million ways..) doesnt need another scorer n they already have Westbrook. Good move Presti!

Marcus…. The thunder would be crazy to trade Russell Westbrook. i think the deal for them will work out now if they start Kevin Martin then they have more offensive power. I know Thabo was working out well for them but Kevin will be a better fir in the line up. Then you have Thabo coming off the bench along with Eric Maynor, Nick Colliseun, Hasheem Thabbet, and Jeremy Lamb

The winner of this trade all depends on how well (or bad) of a player Jeremy Lamb turns out to be. As of now, I feel like both teams benefited. Of all the trades this summer, I feel this one has been the most balanced.

good move for both, I think a lil better for thunder, harden will b missed averging 16 ppg, but they wont lose much with k-mart averging 19 ppg. some people dont watch houston or k-mart , but he is instant offense, plus he’s a lil taller , and a lil bit better defender. Jeremey lamb was a plus because he’s pretty good and has potential. and with those two 1st round picks, the thunder probably has the best scout team in the nba.. Harden weill make the rockets better instantly, plus take pressure of lin , who i think wasnt goin to do very good anywway . But i still think houston gave up to much, as godd as harden is , he isnt the best defender , and he disappeared in the playoffs, besides you just dont max out a 6th mans contract. hes still not a finished product , and has loads of potential. hopufully he can defend the best , and avg 24ppg , if not hes being over payed

Another heat cheerleader/bandwagoner coming on the scene with your miniskirt and pom poms talking about the precious Heat when the article has absolutely nothing to do with it…. Stfu and go somewhere homie

With all due respect, $52m for 4 years is a nice sum of money. $60m is better, but thats where greed and ego comes in.
Too bad Harden could not overcome his ego to win a championship.
With Houston he is going nowhere.
Eventually, a championship with the Thunder would have brought for him more money (from endorsements),
and what every player is dreaming of – a championship.
Too bad James…

Seriously, that was the best trade for the Lakers. The Lakers with summer trades, made the western champ too close to call. Metta would make KD get his 25 points on 30 shots instead of 20. Nash would ve not stopped RW from scoring but at least he would make him spend energy on defense, something is new for Lakers. Ibaka have to deal with Gasol full time. Perkins can bring his 2 points and 5 fouls average a game. But we had no answers for Harden, he was the difference makers. Now, would 3 Million a year difference between what he wants and what the GM though was his worth will be the reason between them being contender and a regular playoff team? I think it will. As for what Oklahoma got for Harden, it reminds me of what Orlando got for Howard. I think the Lakers should go after him next year. He would be great for us after Mr Bryant leaves.

OKC is basically saying… This harden guy is coming off the bench.. He’s not a starter.. It’s not going to kill their team.. Harden was a Non-Factor throughout the Spurs/Heat Series’ they had..

So if dude, dont take less money.. Why not unload now, rather than suffer your whole season with a guy that doesnt want to be their..

This is a brilliant move for OKC and then in return you get more youth at the point guard position, which the heat or lakers clearly DO NOT have.. This GM is a $@%!$@% genius for this trade.. when you really think about it..

But if anything this is a shocking trade.. just 2 days before the season comes..

Anybody critiquing the thunder for this don’t really know enough to chime in and should stick to video games.
The Thunder already have 3 huge contracts, two are max deals I believe. They couldn’t afford Harden and if they did, it was going to seriously handicapped them money wise.
So in doing this, they picked up 2 good players, who should be able to equal Hardens output on the scoreboard and Have FIRST ROUND future round draft .

Although Houston got the best player, I think in the longterm this was another dumb move by Daryl Morey.
Harden is decent, but he is not good enough to single handedly lead a time, notice why he worked good in OKC. Now the thunder will be a 11th – 8th seed team again and not a lottery team which is kind of what it seemed like they were destined for.

This ain’t sparta this is madness! You just went to the Finals last year so you trade away one of the main reasons why you got there for a guy and some picks that wont help you get back…crazy! OKC just became a second round playoff team, I’m putting on my miss Cleo hat and I see them moving Russell in the near future and Durant does not resign when its time to.

I am stunned anyone doesnt see this a huge theft by OKC: Harden was good, not great. he wont be the same player in Houston (he’s the loser, now he has to play for McHale). Lamb has HUGE upside, and already will contribute being able to play next to KD, who tends to make everyone look good. There was a reason harden didnt start………rewind to finals………its a great move by OKC……….plus two picks.

I am stunned anyone doesnt see this as a steal by OKC: They got a kid who should end up better than Harden. Remember there was a reason harden didnt start. And rewind to finals…..he is a bad defender and soft. He was fortunate to play with KD and RW and Ibaka. Now he gets to play for McHale.

Anyway…….Martin is fine, a shooter, but Lamb has real upside. This doesnt hurt OKC at all. You watch, harden wont be nearly the same guy in Houston.

Was OKC really going to pay out a max deal for a player that comes off the bench? Harden is a great player don’t get me wrong. He scores like a beast, but he’s not a great defender, and as I said he comes off the bench (he’s a super sixth man, but sixth man nonetheless for OKC). He refused to take 4 years for 52 million. So OKC traded him away. I think it had to be done in the end.

Not that much of a fan of Harden fan to be honest. Seen to many important games where he whent invicible when the game was on the line. Look at the finals for example. He seems to roll best in a team that is allready winning.

This was a homerun for the Thunder. Absolutely brilliant move. You trade a good, not great player, and receive the same good not great player ( Martin ) in return. Eric Maynor is back for the thunder who scott brooks is huge on and trusts him with there second unit. No he’s no Harden but he can still put guys in a position to score. So Kevin Martin should flourish for this team in the 6th man role. Then you add Jeramy Lamb’s potential and 2 first round picks and a second. This is as good as being in the lottery 4 years in a row. Presti now has flexability to remain an elite team, all whilst window shopping for more talent to add, either thru trade or free agency. I’m sure his phone is already ringing with trade requests. The Lakers and Spurs will soon drop off after subsequent retirements take place. And the Thunder will be there to take the torch for the next 10 years. Feel bad for Houston. Hardens going to score points, but they probably won’t make the playoffs. I also think they will just be the same so so team that they’ve been for the past few years. they just made a dozen trades only to come back full circle.

ok so while everyone will look at the fact that okc lost harden and gained back jerry lamb and kevin martin who by the way averages 20 point per game last year i am wanting to give my 2 cents to the conversation let us totally forget about jerry lamb for a second because HE IS A ROOKIE and is UNPROVEN in this league so he is out of my conversation kevin martin is a good scorer however defensively he doesn’t mactch up like james harden, james harden last year had on average in the reglar season 1.0 steals per game to martin’s 0.7 steals and martins blocks per game 0.1 on average to hardens 0.3 now this may not look like much but wait last year he was the man who helped to defend and slow down kobe bryant and didn’t do to bad against wade either now he is gone and martin and lamb are in his place im not sure it was wise to pull the trigger on this situation right now i mean why change what is working its no like the had to do this deal now and kevin martin is not to good at defending and thabo couldnt defend against kobe or wade last year in the playoffs last year either so who do you put at the 2 spot to not stop but slow down dwayne wade and kobe bryant my opinion this was done way to early and could be a terrible mistake if lamb and martin dont prove to be efficient and as for the 2 first round picks and 2nd rounder well we dont know excatly where they will be in the next draft but i know this. This team was already a title contender and still is but now they have to go find a good deensive SG or extra player to help boost thier defense in the backcourt THIS TRADE WAS DONE WAY TO EARLY bt it will be a interesting season none the less 🙂

Great trade for okc harden didnt do nothing in the playoffs his game gets limited and playing without kd and westbrook will exploit it. K mart needs to start and lamb will hopefully be better than harden

To be honest, I think the Thunder did the right thing. As they said, they’ve been negotiating with Harden for 4 months with fruitless results. I don’t really think this will alter to what they have done last year, I mean sure, there’s going to be a lot of adjustments for Martin and Lamb, but with KD and Westbrook playing in their prime, the sky is the limit for this team. They still have a great team all around, if not better than last year provided that Martin and Lamb plays well for the Thunder. And as for the Rockets, they got a great deal too. But probably a little to risky. I mean, who knows? Harden might not want to play with the Rockets or what not. It really boils down to the end of the season. I expect the Thunder to still have one-heck-of-a-season. As for the Rockets, they are on the rise.

We can only wait and see how the trade pans out. It really comes down to one thing. Are the Thunder still contenders without Harden? I’d say so, but it’s got to be KD absolutely dominating the 4th quarter. Destroy ’em with the fadeaway until they break, then kick it out for open 3’s.

I would say that the rockets profited quite a bit from this trade. James Harden is an excellent 3-point shooter, defender, and has a fair amount of strength. He will definitely help on the defensive and offensive ends. Harden is also in his prime right now. Kevin Martin can shoot pretty well, but he is a very well rounded player. Plus his prime years are over. The thunder should have traded perkins for asik and montequanas( I think thats how you spell his last name). In that case the rockets would receive the toughness that they need and the thunder would receive some athletic big men that can easily fit in with their rotation and style of play.

I would say that the rockets profited quite a bit from this trade. James Harden is an excellent 3-point shooter, defender, and has a fair amount of strength. He will definitely help on the defensive and offensive ends. Harden is also in his prime right now. Kevin Martin can shoot pretty well, but he is a very well rounded player. Plus his prime years are over. The thunder should have traded perkins for asik and montequanas( I think thats how you spell his last name). In that case the rockets would receive the toughness that they need and the thunder would receive some athletic big men that can easily fit in with their rotation and style of play.

Kevin Martin is capable of going on unstoppable shooting binges from anywhere on the court. He will “keep the flies” off KD. Jeremy Lamb is a great pro prospect with a high basketball IQ. So, if you can 2 talents like that for James Harden, who is a very fine player, but not a super star, with…. an expiring contract puts the Thunder miles ahead on this trade. That cannot be questioned. Then, add 2 1st’s and a 2nd for clearing your end of the bench players; it becomes the Pau Gasol trade from the Grizzlies.
When the Thunder spread the floor this year, they will reign terror from anywhere on the court and the ability to double team their 3 or 4 legitimate scorers will make them a headache in the West.

hmm for me this is kind of trade that okc will regret soon. they give up only playmaker they had for one more selfish shooter ( martin ) and some rookie with draft picks. problem with draft picks is simple- you don’t know how good draft will be, Martin is ALWAYS hurt really selfish and he is 3 point lover, put him in floor with westbrook and durant, WTF- 3 selfish shooters ….Lamb is now what? 3. option on shooting guard come on can’t do that to a rookie ,they basicly destroyed his rookie year… and one more thing about harden and martin, harden is 22 martin is 30, yes i agree that Harden hide from Miami and played really really bad but MARTIN PLAYED ONLY ONCE IN HIS WHOLE CARRER IN PLAYOFF GAMES and he was desaster , 13 points with 30% for 3 poin AND WITH 0,5 ASIST IN 6 GAME… just… epic trade from okc, 0 playmakers in team… it will be so funny to watch how westbrook and martin basicly outshoot whole team with 70 shoots per game

This is really messed up James Harden has done big things for this franchise and they trade him!!! My favorite rookie Jeremy lamb is not going to have anytime of playing time I don’t want his career to start off wrong!!!

Not great for the thunder in the short term but in the long term its a great move.
They made it to the finals and then trade away one of their key guys… Crazy?
They got a great scorer and shooter in martin to somewhat fill in for harden this year and a 2 guard for the future with lamb. Plus the picks which can be used for possible trades down the road (I thought they were crazy to trade Jeff green for Perkins but it seemed to work out well) or to continue building with young talent through the draft (kd, Westbrook, harden, perry jones 3 [who I think will be good for them to get some scoring in the post if it works out]).
Great point about okc losing out on their main playmaker down the stretch in harden. Westbrook isnt that guy.
Overall it’s a great deal for both teams. Okc knows what they are doing and has great management that other teams show look to emulate.

I’m a bit disgruntled with Harden pushing for a max deal now that OKC’s been so proud of how their team puts team efforts over individual glory (and finances) but I can’t really say I blame him much. All things considered, it’s a good deal for both teams although the aspect for OKC is more long-term than that of Houston getting who will likely start Harden and have him average 20-25 points a game right off the bat.

a shame harden wouldn’t try harder to stay with the thunder. this is a serious disruption to their post season hopes, he was just as important to the thunder team as westbrook. Martin can shoot like harden but thats about it he isn’t the playmaker harden was and he won’t be able to counter WB when he goes a little nuts. very good trade for houston though they will now be a playoff contender and will knock off a few big teams this season. houston now have a future.

Houston risked alot….
there goes future first round draft picks. they lose a solid rookie and their best scorer.
to get practically get harden in return and aldrich has a possible future.
Can harden make that much of an impact? hes not a super-star and not even an all-star.
its a risk, houston is hoping lin and harden can be the future of the franchise but its a risk

Agree.
Allthough I felt Harden was not hitting against the Spurs and Heat in the finals as he was during the season.
He should have stayed, but its possible he wants to be the man. I wish him luck, but HOU still won’t make the playoffs, its close but thats the west.

Its not a shame at all. The man just wants to be paid what he deserves. Maybe we could say shame on RW or KD for not taking a little less to maybe allow their quote on quote brother get a little more but i wouldnt. THEY GOT PAID WHAT THEY WERE WORTH. Everybody just wants to get his. The nba is a sport but more than that, its a business. This is his job and you never know how long youre going to be able to net a big payday. Lets be honest, I would say 9 times out of ten, anyone would leave their current job if they could get millions more working somewhere else. Really wished you would of stayed James but most def. no hard feelings. GL in houston

its quiet a loss for the thunder, eventhough they got Martin who also a scorer, Harden had great harmony with the Thunder team, not to mention his capabilities to run the point while westbrook is moved to SG…but this trade benefits both teams, its just sad to see last years Western champion let go of a very important guy to them.

Houston got a win!! though Lamb is good..Harden is better. Lamb wont be getting much playing time as compared to harden. Harden can now be the star that he deserves to be. OKC is my favorite team but I don’t see championship this year with that trade.

Comparing Lamb to Harden is simply not fair. For OKC this is a deal for the long term, and one that will probably pay off. Their team will be a lot better in 3 years, when Durant hits his prime, then if they’d have kept Harden.

James Harden = The next Joe Johnson. Could have stayed on a championship team and been the 3rd best option, similar to Manu Ginobili, for the next half decade. Now, he’l be on one of the most overrated teams in the league with an overpaid Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, with a pile of undersized 4s. Id give the trade an A for the Thunder, as Kevin Martin (Obviously he’s no James Harden) should easily replace the scoring of Harden as a starter with a good prospect in Lamb off the bench. For Houston, id give them a B. They get the star player the franchise has been trying to find, but I just see this trade pushing them back to the mediocre team they have been the last couple of years. The Rockets should win a few more games this year than expected now, but looking at the big picture this will just weaken their chances of getting a high chance at the number 1 pick in 2013. They will more than likely try to find their 2nd star player via free agency, but with most of the top unrestricted free agents likely to resign with their respected teams to get longer deals, there is no real point in looking at the restricted free agents of 2008 as most of the top players are guards (Derozan, Jennings, Evans etc). What are your thoughts on this Sekou?

I don’t think your looking at the big picture for Houston. This is just another step for Morey in building a top level team.
Next year Houston will have a dynamic back court duo of Lin and Harden and a starting line up all in their early 20’s besides Asik(26) AND cap room for another max player.

I think Houston will be right up there in 2-3 years time (possibly when a couple of powerhouses might be decling…. (cough) Miami (cough) Lakers)

For Houston its a no brainer, yah kmartin have those averages but is he an impact player like JHarden brings every night. This is a good trade for Houston definitely, but for the Thunder? Could say their team before is like a four-headed dragon (Durant-Westbrook-Ibaka-Harden) attack bball team, but now, it lost its huge bite for a sure championship run.

James harden used to be the leader in the OKC’s second team (bench). I don’t think Kevin martin can take his place as the sole leader coming off the bench. What this shows that OKC’s has too much confidence in their offence and they don’t need a scorer like harden. In theory this might be correct but what this means is that Durant and Westbrook have to play more minutes just to keep the offence going. Which makes them injury prone in a long 84 game season.
Only time will tell if this was a good move because Huston can go on and qualify for playoffs which will leave OKC with lower picks in the draft but if you look at the prospect of Jeremy lamb, I think its a good investment as they have now one more piece to trade if things don’t work out as intended.

K-mart doesn’t have to run the offense because maynor is back. Harden was great in isolation last year because he had to be, but before that he was devastating in pick and rolls with maynor, who can play off martin the same way. It’s maynor’s second unit now, and it frees up cap space to keep the team much deeper than miami and especially the lakers.

Here in OKC it’s sad because harden was everyone’s favorite and he was apparently all talk when he said he’d be willing to take a pay cut to build a dynasty. I guess the lure of having his own team and a starter’s spot was too much for him to stick with an elite team, his friends, and an entire state that loved him..

Indeed. I wonder if most of the people criticising this deal are not the people who watch the Thunder day in day out. They forget Maynor, and they seem to think that Harden somehow counterbalanced Westbrook’s more wild nights, whereas usually he didn’t. Often watching the Thunder on a regular basis I found myself more frustrated with Harden’s performance that Westbrook’s generally speaking. He is a great impact player and a good playmaker, but he isn’t a franchise guy like KD and Westbrook. Even from a fair while ago, it became apparent that the Thunder would probably lose one of Harden and Ibaka. Personally, I was always hoping the one they kept was Ibaka. Harden’s skills are hard to reproduce, but Martin has to be one of those in the league that comes close. I can’t help but feel he will be a little less fun to watch than Harden. I enjoyed watching others fear the beard. And like Green, Harden has a special place in the league for me. But I am not scared for my OKC – I think this was pretty much as close to the best deal imaginable for Harden. I think it was a good job.

1rst and foremost as good as james was last year he didnt deserve a max contract like the ones westbroke and durant demaned after his performace in the finals. but with that said Great move for both teams 1rst the rockets get the (maybe) star they were looking for all summer. secondly this takes all the pressure off j-lin with another playmaker next to him. The rockets wont make the playoffs and werent going to make it with the team they had. now they hav thee pieces to attrack a real superstar the houston area. As for the thunder RW0 and KD35 morn the lost of their brother the bearded one who was just as responsible for the Thunders success as RW0 and KD35 but they will understand this is a bizz and will move forward. The addition of K-mart and J lamb will ease the pain. Kevin Martin is a proven score and a great catch and shoot weapon on the wing. This also sets up well for the thunder now and in the futuer jeremy will be joined by fellow rookie PJ3 coming off the bench to make an excellent duo of rookies able to play with no pressure at all so in enssence they have become a deeper team and the draft picks will be mid to high draft picks depending on the years this allows the thunder to do what they seem to better than most build through the daft and save money. So ferwell James hello kevin and jemery and the challenge of Kepping everybody from the finals we all want to see,

If you are looking for a excellent basketball mind that is looking to become a jurnilist please contact me at e.davie_20@yahoo.com

“1rst” and foremost, journalism requires some form of grammar skills. In “enssence” if you want to become a “jurnilist” I would suggest attempting to find someone to tutor you in the near “futuer” to obtain your goals.

Sorry, I couldn’t focus on the content of your post. I was too distracted with your grammar errors and I was thinking if you paid me $1,000 an article I’ll jump on as your editor. Too expensive you say? Well.. good luck becoming a “jurnilist” 🙂

Like this trade for OKC. Martin’s perimeter game will help with spacing and Lamb has a very bright future. The picks ( although protected) can be used in other deals. Presti showing why he is one of the better G.M.’s …. by not only picking up fair value…. AND… by NOT letting the Harden situation drag on into the season and become a detriment. .

At 6’8″, Jeremy Lamb should get some minutes at small forward, as well as spot minutes at the 2. Kevin Martin might be able to stay healthy because he won’t have to shoulder the load of scoring. Could be a good deal for both sides. I’m interest to see just how good James Harden can be when he is ‘the man’. I think the deal impacts the Rockets more, because the Thunder keep their starting lineup in tact. But the Thunder fans will not be happy about this, and that may have a small impact on the team because Harden was a fan favorite. Overall, I think Houston benefits the most simply because they have more ground to make up. It is possible for the Thunder to have a worse regular season than they did last year, but still be the team to beat in April because they are playing their best basketball late in the season. It all starts on Tuesday guys!!!!

take a salary of $60M over $52M if it were you in the same position, because you’re perfect and faultless. Man, gotta hand it to the hypocrites when someone makes a move like this, all the sudden the hate gets amped up and the true colors get shown. Pffffft.

I don’t think most of you guys realise that the draft picks also play a huge role in this trade with two FIRST-ROUND draft picks and one second round. The okc can add even MORE young talent with these picks and even trade them for someone else in the future. The team already young as is, has picks, and rookies with great potential (lamb, Jones). But they do lose Harden probably the best facilitator on the team… Don’t forget Harden did have a terrible Finals series.. and I’m kind of annoyed Harden didn’t accept that $52 million deal other members of the thunder team were accepting less like Ibaka so they could remain together.
In the end we don’t see which team had the better end of the deal for a few years now.. You never know Harden could become a superstar but also might not..

I agree. Houston won’t be making the playoffs this year, although it isn’t clear when the first round picks come or what their protections are in this article. But it’s possible they will translate into yet more affordable but solid pieces. We have seen OKC know how to draft. Also, maybe they will be able to afford Maynor now, which isn’t a terrible thing either.

You have no reason be “kind of annoyed” …. those are pros, they can just play for about 10-15 years, during that time they have to secure their future, so earning as much money as you can has to be on your agenda 😉 .

Who took less Ibaka gets over paid he is no star lots of people block shots and rebound. Durant took a max deal and so did Westbrook that’s not less money that’s max deals so again who took less money?

This is a good solid trade by both teams. When it came down to choosing between Serge Ibaka and James Harden the Thunder made the right choice. They needed interior defence to contend with the bigger teams in the league, and they have the best scorer in the league already with Durant, and one of the best scoring point guards with Westbrook so it was the most logical move for them to let a scorer go.. James Harden is a tough player to let go of though considering his play making abilities and scoring, but they get the scoring back with Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb, also Martin is a good role model for younger players as well so this doesn’t hurt the development of Lamb as he would have been learning with Martin anyway, but also Martin can help with the other rookies on OKC. With OKC now having Lamb, Martin, and Thabo, they have the flexibility to possibly keep them all, or put together another trade. The Rockets struck out with all the free agent superstars that they wanted, however they may have just picked one up. Harden will be the go to guy on offence and will have a bigger leadership role. Houston finally made a move that will benefit them in the future. If Lin turns out how everyone is hoping (Not sure he will, but hopefully), they picked up one of the most underrated young centers in Asik, and now they have added Harden. All will be in Houston for at least for a while, could make an up and coming team… All in all, it was a move no one saw coming, but a great last minute move by both teams, to fill needs.

In my opinion, they should have traded Russel Westbrook instead of letting go of James Harden. For one, he is a playmaker that any contender would need. They could have gotten a lot for Russel Westbrook with a 2. Then give the point to JH.

you make an interesting point but the thunder could still be contenders this year without harden but this year losing russel they would struggle russell is good in the cluth and will to go for it like KD harden doznt like the spotlight in the clutch he used to be a player i respected and liked now he has turned his back on the thunder all for 8 mill hope he neva makes the playoffs again

Cant believe they got rid of the beard but i guess this clears some cap space and kevin martin and harden are kinda the same player exept martin is declining and harden is on the ups. Plus thunder should be getting high first rounders and a good prospect in lamb. But then houstens gets a borderline allstar and a dead I shooter and a decent prospect in cole so idk for the situations i would say win, win gonna miss the bearded wizard tho lol

Martin and Harden are not kinda the same player. Harden is much more of a play maker and a better scorer as well. You’ll see that by Martin’s numbers as a sixth man on OKC. Not that this is a bad deal for either team, though.

This is crazy! He might not ever get a deal like that again! I would trade him too! Though, that’ll mean the Thunder may slip down a few seeds and the Rockets might make the playoffs. This was definitely a big move. Just to let you know, I might be a future kid reporter for SI Kids!

Trading Harden doesn’t mean OKC will fall, they will stay the same, I don’t know if Martin will start or play off the bench, but either way he can score, he can shoot and he get to the FT line. Lamb is a rookie but still pretty decent. I liked Harden alot though, my second favourite Thunder player behind KD, but this trade makes sense, I’m sure Harden would have wanted more money for his next contract, giving him up now, OKC got a pretty good SG and a solid rookie, and a bunch picks for potential future trades, or they get a steal from the draft like Perry Jones, who knows, the Thunder management does have a knack of selecting the right players in drafts, Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka.

Crazy!!!!! Harden has an expiring contract, yet the Rockets gave them two of their best players and 2 1st rounders. Please, NBA execs, I may have no experience, but I strongly believe I can pull better deals than this one. Hire me, I love basketball and have a lot of transferable professional experience.

Harden doesn’t have an expiring contract, but Kevin Martin does. As a restricted free agent, OKC could’ve matched any contract offered to Harden and still keep him. But, since they could not afford to give him a max deal (punitive luxury tax) they would’ve lost him for nothing unless they traded him (inevitable). They get Lamb (projected as the 7th pick, but was the 12th pick), who has great potential and makes less than Aldrich (along with others, he was thrown in the deal to make salaries come close to matching). They get a lottery pick from Toronto (4-14 this year or 3-14 next year or 2-14 the year after that), which can be huge for them in the future. They get Kevin Martin (better career scoring average than Harden, but much older and a defensive liability) that makes $12 million this year. He is very tradable and will be traded (unless he is willing to take a huge cut in pay to stay with OKC) for at least a first round pick. OKC also gets the Dallas pick that Houston got for Jordan Hill. OKC stays under the tax threshhold for this year and possibly years to come. It was a shrewd move on their part.

It was a shrewd move for Houston, too, because OKC was going to trade Harden to somebody and not just let Harden walk. Houston will give Harden a max deal (before this trade they had the lowest salary of any team) and have no chance of losing him. Martin was not going to stay in Houston after this year (Houston would have traded him or he would just walk). They did lose Lamb, the Toronto pick, the Dallas pick and the 2nd rounder, but get the All- Star they wanted and have money to sign another max player this Summer (now, a top free agent may want to sign with Houston). Next Summer is Houston’s only shot at a max free agent, because the Lin and Asik contracts increase by a combined $20 Million the following year. The deal works out for both teams (Houston now has 20 players, but needs to be at 15 by Monday, so expect some more trades by them).

It was probably the best deal they could get done so quickly. The new team (rockets) would have wanted a few days prior to oct 31 to but out the extension for harden, before he became a restricted free agent (after the season).

There are plenty of James Harden’s in the league. What the Thunder did is trade for a Rookie ( who could become another Harden) a veteran ( which they needed) and 2 hopefully lottery picks + a second round pick ( yay). Also in my opinion Serge Ibaka (a rare talented big man) woulod have been traded if not harden and I don’t think that would have turned out better than this Harden deal

See how this new collective bargaining agreement doesn’t fix anything, By making the luxury tax more punitive it doesn’t deter the rich teams from going into it, it makes it so ONLY they can financially go into it. The lakers have a GIGANTIC luxury tax, but when their TV contract alone is making them a billion dollars I don’t think they care.

Kevin Martin for James Harden Player wins: Harden- I see harden playing 35-38 min per game and average 22.3 ppg……… Player lose:Lamb-he will be a third option at SG and that is not good for him is see him playing 10-12 min per game and will average 5 ppg…………………… Team wins:Houston-they will accuire soon to be prime,athletic,good playmaking,good 3pt. shooter…. Team lose:Thunder-they accuire another injury prone player plus to much player in SG postion

Great trade for OKC in my opinion. James Harden was a better overall player than all the guys OKC got but Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb is a better fit plus Heremy Lamb is still a rookie. Plenty of room for improvement and a great investment plus the 3 draft picks they received. Good trade for the Rockets too. They needed a guy that you can call the best player of the team. Pairing with Jeremy Lin will surely be a good tandem.

you guys keep saying they will be good in the future with Jeremy Lamb and KMart’s contract is up that is why Lakers organization wins because they want to win every year and now not when the rookie plays better wtf r u talking about they were in the finals with that core and Harden could step up more this year and still be finals contender now they get KMart with no finals exp and a rookie that is why this was a dumb move for OKC

Yeah but the thing you don’t realise is that LA are a big market team, with money flowing through every crack. So Buss doesn’t mind going over the luxury tax due to the fact that he has additional money flowing through to compensate. Small market teams like OKC get hit hard and don’t command the sort of money LA can. So they need to build for the future through smart draft picks. So unlike LA, they can’t just buy a championship by buying all of these stars. I think this is ultimately a good trade for OKC.

The other thing too is that everyone else on the team sacrificed to stay there. KD, Westbrook, Ibaka all took paycuts (compared to what they would’ve gotten had they hit the open market) to stay. This was Presti’s coveted value, that everyone keeps the eye on the big picture and put no I in team. Harden wasn’t willing to take a paycut, so Presti had to let him go otherwise it would have also sent the wrong message to the rest of the team.

wow great trade for both teams the thunder keep stockpiling great young talent to surround kd and russell with. You dont lose much with the addition of kmart and you get rid of the distraction that would have been james harden. So good luck to you james in averaging 24 a game but not being on a contender for awhile.

How can you say that, he didn’t show up in the finals, all he proved is why he comes off the bench and could not step up to star status. Why does someone who averages 16 pts a game think they deserve top salary?

everyone is comparing martin to harden like those were the only pieces in the deal. The Toronto first round pick will be huge for the Thunder next year and together with Lamb, they have serious long term potential. If either Lamb or that pick (and we know Presti is a draft king) grow into legit players, the thunder have valuable trade options or an even stronger team…or both.

right … the upside are the draft picks … and maybe Kevin Martin kann fill the shooting role of Harden. Are there any Draft Picks of 2014? Because Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins could´ve been a real plus. And honestly, i don´t think Lin and Harden will be that good that the Rockets will come out of the lottery ….

i totally agree with you i think the thunder got the way better side of the trade and kevin martin is way better thn hrden he is way more clutch harden was nowhere to be found in the finals he still unexperience and the draft pucks as well lamb was a beast in the combine i think now thunder have a team they should either drop sefelosha or keep him at start for defense or you could drop him nd start kevin martin and have jeremy lamb as 6th man .

Incorrect since portland was dumb enough to get oden instead of KD how good would they have looked with oden westbrook and others maybe a little above then mediocre it was all high picks they had in a few years wont happen again

lol are you basing how valuable a player is through ppg? tbh kmart and KD has the same playstyle while harden on the other hand was OKC’s playmaker. not russel westbrook. this is a big blow to the Thunder organization. yes they are getting quality players in return but Harden was a perfect fit